1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to semiconductor fabrication technology, and, more particularly, to a method for manufacturing a workpiece.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a constant drive within the semiconductor industry to increase the quality, reliability and throughput of integrated circuit devices, e.g., microprocessors, memory devices, and the like. This drive is fueled by consumer demands for higher quality computers and electronic devices that operate more reliably. These demands have resulted in a continual improvement in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, e.g., transistors, as well as in the manufacture of integrated circuit devices incorporating such transistors. Additionally, reducing the defects in the manufacture of the components of a typical transistor also lowers the overall cost per transistor as well as the cost of integrated circuit devices incorporating such transistors.
The technologies underlying semiconductor processing tools have attracted increased attention over the last several years, resulting in substantial refinements. However, despite the advances made in this area, many of the processing tools that are currently commercially available suffer certain deficiencies. In particular, such tools often lack advanced process data monitoring capabilities, such as the ability to provide historical parametric data in a user-friendly format, as well as event logging, real-time graphical display of both current processing parameters and the processing parameters of the entire run, and remote. i.e. local site and worldwide, monitoring. These deficiencies can engender nonoptimal control of critical processing parameters, such as throughput accuracy, stability and repeatability, processing temperatures, mechanical tool parameters, and the like. This variability manifests itself as within-run disparities, run-to-run disparities and tool-to-tool disparities that can propagate into deviations in product quality and performance, whereas an ideal monitoring and diagnostics system for such tools would provide a means of monitoring this variability, as well as providing means for optimizing control of critical parameters.
Many of the processing tools that are currently commercially available also suffer other deficiencies. In particular, even such tools as contamination-free manufacturing defect scanning tools may create false signals due to metal grains at interfaces between metal and oxide, for example. in the fabrication of certain types of semiconductor devices such as transistors. Such scanning tools may also not be able to detect particles and/or particulates on a wafer that has surface granularity, and/or on a wafer containing surface topography. In addition, for particles and/or particulates near the minimum-size detection limit. such scanning tools may not be able to detect those particles and/or particulates that are present on the wafer, and yet may detect non-existent particles and/or particulates that are not present of the wafer, producing false counts.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.